Okay.
So as a leader in the community
first, how are you?
Yeah, I'm doing okay.
I think for me, I just wanna do my
best to make myself available,
whether it's answering questions,
doing an interview, coming to a
vigil, coming to press conference.
I just want to make my self available
to talk with residents about what
has happened, what we want to happen
next, and looking at our future.
So that's where I'm at.
What are residents telling you?
Yeah, residents are just as angry as
I am, you know, when you see someone
shot on camera and
the shooting happens within a matter
of, you don't want to three seconds.
That is angry and it's horrifying
and it is heartbreaking.
And I don't believe, like a lot of
residents believe that that should
be the decision that I believe
as I'm watching what is happening,
they're trying to, you no arrest
him.
But the option that they chose
was deadly force so quickly.
I just don't think that should b an
option. That should have not been
the option. I don't believe
And that brings out so many people
here today. There's hundreds of
people, just a few, a hundred feet
in front of us.
Tell us what the amount of people
here, what that speaks to about the
severity of what has.
It tells you there's a collective
anger, there's a collective pain,
and there's a collective loss.
This young man, this gentleman has
a family that loves him.
He has a child that loves them.
And so I believe this is just a
representation, too, magnified of
that love that his family has for
him as well.
But it also is a collective angle.
It's also a collective asking us
to do something, asking us respond
appropriately, for example.
And what they're specifically asking
for is for this officer to
be charged, for this officers to be
arrested. Any thoughts on that?
Yeah, so what I learned today from
the police chief, and it's
sort of a common process in the
state of Wisconsin, is that the
investigation has now been handed
over to the Wisconsin Department of
Justice's Department of Criminal
Investigation, and so now they are
in charge of investigating that NPD
is not investigating themselves.
I want people to ask DCI
to release as much information soon
as possible to let the public know
what it knows, for example.
I want our,
you know, our district attorney's
office is going to get this review
after DCI gets it.
And I want the community members to
stay engaged. So when the
investigation is done and it moves
to the district attorney's
office, for him to make,
whether or not he's gonna make a
charge of decision.
The community should also engage
there as well with what happens
next, so.
And the communities, from what we're
hearing in their speeches, they're
concerned about transparency.
Is that going to happen?
That's what I think we should keep
pushing for. You know what I mean?
I think these are
taxpayer dollars that are paying for
the investigation, for example.
So a taxpayer has a right to
see information eventually, for
example, so we have a right of
transparency.
I think that shouldn't be lost in
the conversation that people should
continue to press for it.
And as a leader...
It's heavy emotions,
there's high emotions.
How do you manage that with a
community that still wants to be out
here and protest and advocate,
but the emotions and tension is
really high.
It's just recognizing that it's
a natural way to respond.
And it's not, I can't
allow myself, whether someone's
upset with me or someone near me,
I can allow myself to just be
totally, take it personal
to a degree.
You know what I mean? I need to be
there to listen, to respond,
and to really take their concerns
back to the full body, for example.
So I don't see my job
as sort of
buckling under it all.
I see myself as sort trying to stand
firm. And hearing from the
community, listening to the
community and taking the community's
concerns back to the full body.
And lastly, as we.
Finish up some people are thinking
you know this is wouldn't think this
would happen in Madison or happen
again in in Madison
is it a does it
define Madison or is it bigger
picture of something that's
happening in our country?
I think...
Collectively, Madison has
to ask, does this define us?
Do we want this to define us, so
is what defines us,
an officer choosing within a matter
of seconds to shoot a
gentleman three times in the head,
is that the definition of Madison?
Or is the definition
of Madison that something changes
after this?
Because if this is a protocol that
is allowed through whatever
collective bargaining, whatever
actions that the state is allowing
for officers to do, then maybe
Madison is the leader for changing
those standards of operating.
Thank you so much, I appreciate it.
Thank you.